Recommendations for a CD player?

[AptosJeff]

As a new member I'd appreciate some advice, as there are so many choices. I'd like to keep it under $2000, but I don't mind used or a demo. The rest of my 2ch system is 804S, Aragon Palladium +Aragon Aurum. I have a Kyocera DA-510cx which I like, but it’s dying. I have only redbook CD’s and listen to classical & jazz. Some players I’ve listened to and how they sound to me:

Ayre CX-7E $3000 Nice, but too much $$.
Arcam CD-192 $1700 Smooth, but not too detailed and open.
Arcam CD-33 $2100(demo) Similar to CD-192, but a little more detail.
Classe CDP .3 $700 (used) Not bad, maybe the best deal.
Lexicon RT-10 $2000(demo) Have not listened to it, but multiple formats & good reviews.
Naim CD5i $1800 Nice, but lacking features. A bit bright for me.
Kyocera DA-510cx na What I have now. Not bad, but also a bit bright.

Thanks for any advice,
Aptos Jeff

[pearsall001]

Do yourself a favor & check out the Consonance line by Opera Audio. Superb gear that have been getting stellar reviews from all over the world. You won't be disappointed I promise you!!! I have the CD120 upsampling player & it is just remarkable. There is no need to spend a small fortune to achieve remarkable sound quality.

[Bob]

http://www.graniteaudio.com/cd/index.html

I've had one for a few years now and it has never given me a problem.

[audiojunky]

Aptos Jeff, welcome to the forum and all the best in the hunt for a great CD player - the journey at times in more fun than actually owning it!

Your budget will afford you a great CD player.

My budget was somewhat limited (belwo $1K) but I still had a great time searching for a CD player and it was a lot of fun. Out of the ones you listed, I've heard only the Arcam 192 and I really liked it a lot.

Heard that the new CA CD player that's coming out within the next month or so has a lot of potential.

[alebonau]

As a new member I'd appreciate some advice, as there are so many choices. I'd like to keep it under $2000, but I don't mind used or a demo. The rest of my 2ch system is 804S, Aragon Palladium +Aragon Aurum. I have a Kyocera DA-510cx which I like, but it’s dying. I have only redbook CD’s and listen to classical & jazz. Some players I’ve listened to and how they sound to me:

Ayre CX-7E $3000 Nice, but too much $$.
Arcam CD-192 $1700 Smooth, but not too detailed and open.
Arcam CD-33 $2100(demo) Similar to CD-192, but a little more detail.
Classe CDP .3 $700 (used) Not bad, maybe the best deal.
Lexicon RT-10 $2000(demo) Have not listened to it, but multiple formats & good reviews.
Naim CD5i $1800 Nice, but lacking features. A bit bright for me.
Kyocera DA-510cx na What I have now. Not bad, but also a bit bright.

Thanks for any advice,
Aptos Jeff

my pick out of this kind of stuff was the musical fidelity A5 CD player.

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/a5/a5cd.html

might be one to check out especially if you say you found the naim and few of the others a bit on the bright side.

some other along similar lines is the very nice cd players from moon, expensive some and pretty good option if you can find s/h I reckon.

[AptosJeff]

Thanks, guys. The reviews are pretty good on those recommendations. Now I just have to find dealers in the San Jose area and give a listen. The Opera sounds like it may be similar to the Naim, but less $. The Granite Audio & Music Fidelity sound very promising, if a bit pricey.

Are these established, reliable companies? Any bad experiences out there?

[Audiophiliac]

I second the Musical Fidelity stuff. They make some really nice sounding CD players for a reasonable price. And then you can get the DACs and tube buffers ant who knows what else down the road.

[David Meek]

The Opera sounds like it may be similar to the Naim, but less $. The Granite Audio & Music Fidelity sound very promising, if a bit pricey.

Are these established, reliable companies? Any bad experiences out there?

Naim and Musical Fidelity are both long-time, successful companies. Granite has a pretty good rep if not as long a history. I'm not familiar enough with Opera to offer an observation.

[twitch54]

don't forget to check Modwright's stuff, he does a great job with stock sony units and those who's opion I trust seem mighty happy !!

[AptosJeff]

Finally listened to Musical Fidelity players, the A3.5 and the A5. Liked them both, but preferred the A5 which is over my $2000 budget. I had a pretty good setup for comparing these 2 units to my Kyocera (the A-B test faithful would be proud). The rest of the system was a MF-A5 amp and B&W 804S (same skrs I have).

My impressions:
A3.5: Clean and fairly grain free. A little forward for my taste. Similar to my Kyocera.
MF A5: A bit more restrained in the upper mids and highs. Very smooth and pleasant. Clearly more polite and musical than the other two to my ears.

Bottom line is I'm still looking, but found I do like the A5. Thanks for the recommendations -I have not yet found the Opera or Granite Audio in a store nearby.

[Ovation]

I use a Cambridge Audio player for CDs and if I had the spare cash, I'd be giving the new 840C a test-drive as soon as it was available (should be any day now).

[Chris D]

Yeah, Ovation, I'm very interested to hear how the 840C turns out!

[Ovation]

If I had the space and money, I'd set up a nice little 2 channel system--nothing fancy--with the 840C and 840A connected via XLR cables and a pair of Paradigm Signature S4s, maybe. Ahh, it's nice to dream.

[AptosJeff]

I have not seen the Cambridge 840C. It's not out yet?
Anybody have a chance to compare the Ayre CX-7e and MF A5?

[kurtholz]

I would throw in the Arcam dv29 as a contender, i felt it competed nicely against many others at a higher price point, add a Benchmark dac for cd, and you get a really satisfying experience

the HDMI connection is a nice bonus

regards

Kurt

[Russ L]

I haven't heard anything on your list but I heard the Musical Fidelity A 3.5 CD player $1850 CAN. If the A5 is too pricy. Best standalone CD player I've heard. Made a brand of speakers I personally dislike (won't mention the brand so as not to offend) actually sound good to me. I went with the outboard Benchmark DAC $950US and an inexpensive Yamaha univeral player at $400US and I think it sounds at least as good! :T -Russ

[sikoniko]

Ive compared the musical fidelity stuff to the ayre, and the ayre blows it out of the water... well worth the price if you can afford it.

[AptosJeff]

Russ - I don't have any experience with 2 box CD players. Are there some guidelines you can point me to about how to put together a player + DAC like you did?

I liked the MF A3.5, but didn't think it was that much better than my current CDP. Maybe a custom setup like you did is the way to go. But how do you audition such a player? Are they setup already in the stores so you can listen?

[AptosJeff]

Ive compared the musical fidelity stuff to the ayre, and the ayre blows it out of the water... well worth the price if you can afford it.

Wow! Was that the Ayre CX7e? I thought the CX7e and the MF A5 were both nice, but didn't hear them side by side. Just from memory, the MF seemed smoother, not as agressive. Both very open and clean. What did you like better about the Ayre?

[AptosJeff]

I second the Musical Fidelity stuff. They make some really nice sounding CD players for a reasonable price. And then you can get the DACs and tube buffers ant who knows what else down the road.

Thanks for the advice. I did really like the A5, but would like to spend less. If I didn't get an A5, and got something all Solid State, how would I add tube buffers? Wouldn't I need to bypass the SS output stage? Why do I need a separate DAC? Are you referring to a basic MF model without those features?

[Russ L]

AptosJeff- The Benchmark is sold online through the Benchmark website with the offer of a money back trial period. The DAC1s owner manual is available for download from their website plus a number of great reviews. There is a list of dealers to view on the site but it is usually sold by those who supply the broadcast industry whether you can test it out there would vary locally, its not sold through regular audio dealers. Their products are used by many major networks. The DAC1 is available to the home audio market. Just hook it up via coaxial digital in and then RCA analog out. Optical digital in and XLR balanced in are also available. Just run it 2-channel direct through Your Amp or pre whichever you choose. It has its own pre amp(which you can use or not) and headphone jacks. The Benchmark DAC1 reduces clock jitter and interface jitter to virtually nothing Specs are amazing. Thesound may be too clean and distortionless for some peoples tastes! Just use your present CD player and the DAC . You don't even have to use good coaxial cable in because the Dac will clean up all jitter caused by interference on the cable. Check their website and search the HT Guide under Benchmark DAC1 for further info. Like I said it makes my $400 Yammi Universal player sound better than a $1850 MFA3.5. Alot better IMO. Many others agree...see reviews. :T I see you like Classical like me so you may love the clean, neutral sound like I do. Only for 2 channel direct tho. -Russ

[whoaru99]

You can demo the Benchmark DAC-1 for 30 days. Full refund (shipping is on your dime) if you choose to return it.

Whether you need it or not is a different story. I agree it has a very clean sound, somewhat cool and clinical in my opinion.

I thought I heard improvments on some players using the DAC-1, neutral on others, and at the other end of the scale thought one player sounded better on it's own analog outputs. The most expensive player was about 1/2 the cost of the DAC-1 so I ended up returning it (DAC-1) because the benefit didn't seem to outweight the cost to me. Many say it's a great piece for the cost. YMMV.

If you are going to look at an external DAC, Lavry Engineering offers the DA-10 which has it's own loyal following and is comparable in cost to the Benchmark DAC. The reviews I've read tend to say it is a bit warmer, less clinical/analytical sound, and more weight to the bottom end, but I have not personally tried it.

If you are looking for that "tube" sound, or what some might say is a "warm" sound, the DAC-1 is not for you, IMO.

I think there are some benefits beyond purely sound, such as portability (headphone amp - although still need power) and multiple inputs. Either the Lavry or the Benchmark could be used instead of preamps in a minimalist system.

[alebonau]

Thanks for the advice. I did really like the A5, but would like to spend less. If I didn't get an A5, and got something all Solid State, how would I add tube buffers? Wouldn't I need to bypass the SS output stage? Why do I need a separate DAC? Are you referring to a basic MF model without those features?

For any cd player, you can add a dac to it. stand alone dacs can have better dacs built in than in the disc player and often a better analog output stage which is often the secret to the great soudn of many disc players.

musical fidelity sell standalone dac as do benchmark. For the musical fidelity dac you can add the valve output stage(same tubes used in the mf a5) and you can also add a power supply to drive the lot. check the link for the mf dac + valve output stage+psu

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/smlx/index.html

if demoing all this stuff I'd sure compare with some equivalent price standalone CD players to see what you can get for yoru money.

myself I demoed the mf dac combination but didnt provide me a huge improvement over my previous dac. the mf A5 cd player though sure plugged into my system bringing a certain rightness to the sound.

[AptosJeff]

Thanks, guys. I'll checkout the separate DACs & tube stages. Maybe the only way to get MF A5 sound quality uner $2000.

[audiofan]

From your list and your budget, i think you could get Ayre CX-7e on audiogon.com . This is an excellent player. The next one would be Arcam CD-33.